Buying a Thai condo from India: the LRS limit, the 20% TCS, the FET and the costs.
// Short answer
Yes. An Indian resident can own a Thai condo freehold, in their own name, within the building's 49% foreign quota. The money leaves India under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, up to USD 250,000 per person per financial year, and your bank collects 20% tax at source on what you send above Rs 10 lakh in that year. It has to arrive in Thailand in foreign currency, documented, for the Land Office to register you.
Weighing a specific unit? The Custom Report checks it against its own building and area before you sign: see a real report, page by page.
Rules as of October 2026 (Indian tax year 2026-27). Prices are 2026 asking prices.
On this page
Can an Indian buy a condo in Thailand?
Yes, a condo unit, freehold, in your own name, as long as foreign ownership in the building stays within 49% of the total unit area (Condominium Act, section 19 bis). Land and houses are a different matter: a foreigner cannot own Thai land.
The rules are the same for every nationality: can Indians buy property in Thailand covers them in full. This page is about the Indian side: how the money gets out, and what it costs to send it.
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How much can I send from India to buy a Thai condo?
Up to USD 250,000 per person per financial year (April to March) under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme. Buying property outside India is a permitted LRS purpose, and for property the RBI allows family members to combine their limits if each of them meets the scheme's conditions.
Your bank (the authorised dealer) needs your PAN and Form A2, where you declare the purpose of the remittance. A 1-bedroom near Bangkok's BTS and MRT is listed for a median of ฿5.45 million, about USD 163,000 at the Bank of Thailand rate of 30 September 2026 (฿33.39 to the dollar), so one person's limit covers it. A larger unit can be funded across two family members, or across two financial years.
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How much TCS does my bank collect on the transfer?
Nothing on the first Rs 10 lakh you send under the LRS in a financial year, then 20% on remittances for purposes other than education or medical treatment, which includes buying property. The Finance Act 2026 cut only the education and medical rate (to 2%); the 20% stays.
The Rs 10 lakh is per person per financial year, across all your LRS remittances together. Worked: send Rs 1 crore in one financial year and Rs 90 lakh of it is above the threshold, so the bank collects Rs 18 lakh. TCS is collected against your PAN; how it is set off against your tax for the year is a question for your chartered accountant, before you wire.
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What has to happen when the money reaches Thailand?
It must arrive from abroad in foreign currency, in your name, and the Thai bank must document it: a Foreign Exchange Transaction form for larger transfers, or a credit advice for those under USD 50,000. The Land Office asks for that record before it registers a foreign owner.
Send dollars, not rupees converted in Thailand, and name the purpose as the purchase of a condominium unit. Every step: the FET certificate guide. The same record is what lets you send the sale money back to India later.
What does it cost on top of the price?
In Thailand, a 2% transfer fee on the registered value at the Land Office, which buyer and seller often split, plus the building's yearly common fee. On a sale within five years, 3.3% specific business tax; after that, 0.5% stamp duty instead. In India, the 20% TCS on whatever you send above Rs 10 lakh.
Every Thai line with its rate: Bangkok condo buying costs and Thailand condo maintenance fees.
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How is a Thai condo taxed for an Indian resident?
Thailand may tax rent from the condo and the gain when you sell it (the India-Thailand tax treaty, Articles 6 and 13). India taxes its residents on worldwide income and gives a credit for the Thai tax, capped at the Indian tax on that income (Article 23). You also report the condo as a foreign asset in Schedule FA of your return.
Thai tax on rent: Thailand property tax for foreigners. The Indian side of each figure is your chartered accountant's call; this page gives the rules and where they are written, not advice on your return.
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Free, before you sign
The Thailand condo breakdown
The 49% foreign-quota check, the full cost stack, and a worked case study of a unit I own in Chiang Mai. One email, instant download.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an Indian citizen buy a condo in Thailand?
How much money can I send from India to buy property abroad?
What is the TCS on sending money abroad to buy property?
Do I need an FET form to buy a Thai condo from India?
Header photo: Jakob Owens, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. All credits: image credits.